Book Review | The Bones Beneath My Skin
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Summary: There’s nothing more human than a broken heart.
In the spring of 1995, Nate Cartwright has lost everything: his parents are dead, his only brother wants nothing to do with him, and he’s been fired from his job as a journalist in Washington, DC.
With nothing left to lose, he returns to his family’s summer cabin outside the small mountain town of Roseland, Oregon, to try and find some sense of direction. The cabin should be empty. It’s not.
Inside is a man named Alex. And with him is an extraordinary ten-year-old girl who calls herself Artemis Darth Vader. Artemis, who isn’t exactly as she appears.
Soon it becomes clear that Nate must make a choice: let himself drown in the memories of his past, or fight for a future he never thought possible. Because the girl is special. And forces are descending upon them who want nothing more than to control her.
My Thoughts: I love TJ Klune’s Cerulean Chronicles books and Under the Whispering Door, so I was excited to read this one.It did not disappoint. Artemis and Alex were everything. I know the POV is Nate’s, but he wasn’t my favorite character. I kind of found him whiny and annoying, but Artemis and Alex made it worth it.
I will say Nate probably had the best character development throughout the book. He is the one learning everything and coming to terms with what is really out there. I did find the relationship between Alex and Nate kind of weird, I felt that they had zero chemistry and everything seemed forced between them.
“How can you be alone when we’re all the same?”
The relationship and family dynamic that Artemis and Alex created was perfect. His love for her showed in every decision he made and every thing he did for her. I love how they became a family. Artemis made the whole book, though. Her dialogue was brilliant! I would read another entire book about her.
The ending was kind of disappointing.. Not that I didn’t like it, but it just seemed to easily put a nice big bow on a difficult and tragic story. I expected something more/different I guess.
100% recommend.
